Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain described the huge mental challenge faced by him and the rest of the Liverpool squad after reaching 97 points yet still finishing second last season.
In the 2018/19 campaign, Jürgen Klopp’s Reds achieved the highest points total in the club’s history. However, Manchester City went one point better, winning the league on 98.
Speaking on a call with Premier League Productions this week, Oxlade-Chamberlain discussed the disappointment of last season and how it impacted Liverpool’s approach to the current campaign.
“You can look at it two ways.
“You can look at it in the sense of, how do you get 97 points and finish off second best? That, mentally for the lads, I think was a big challenge. You almost can’t get a more perfect season.
“Mentally, as a group of players, I think that’s maybe where we thought, ‘Alright, 97 points not good enough’ and I remember the manager saying we’ve got to do more. Simple as that.
“He was adamant that’s not enough, you’ve got to do more, and I think it’s a credit to us in what we’ve done so far this season, the boys are doing more and obviously this is a strange time because you talk about momentum and that’s the same for every team at the minute, but it’s not finished yet. We’re close but we’re not finished yet, but up to this point, we are doing more.”
Oxlade-Chamberlain spoke of the collective effort put in by everyone involved at the club under Klopp.
“So, I’m really proud of us as a group of lads that we’ve achieved that and the manager as well, the whole club, the backroom staff, they are the same. I’ve seen everyone pushing even harder this year, and that’s what the manager’s created, it’s people like Jordan Henderson, leaders in the team, Millie, that’s what they help create, and we’ve got an amazing group of players.
“There’s not one ego in that team. Our superstars are the hardest working, the most humble and the most relatable guys in the team. Along with industry and the relationship that everyone has, I think that makes it easier for us all to pull in the right direction.”
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